When you grow up with severe acne, like me, stepping into your clear face era can feel like a dream you wish to never wake up from. Pimpleless skin may seem like a simple pleasure for many. But, when you go from never feeling confident enough to step out of the house sans makeup, to unashamedly proclaiming, “I woke up like this”, clear skin becomes an underrated luxury.
For a great portion of my teenage years into my mid-twenties, I believed that good skin was just the luck of the draw. Because all my drugstore purchases proved to be a waste of money, I assumed all skin care products were. Therefore, I bitterly accepted my fate as “the girl with horrible skin.”
That is until I couldn’t take it anymore. I remember feeling so embarrassed of my outbreaks that I did not want to socialize or be seen. That’s when I decided to take a trip to the dermatologist.
She ended up recommending an over-the-counter topical cream called Panoxyl. It was a cleanser with 2% Benzoyl Peroxide. To my surprise, this thing worked to get my breakouts under control.
It by no means was a miracle solution, but, this sparked hope in me that clear skin was possible. That was the beginning of my skincare journey. Here are the top habits I started doing that transformed my skin for the better.
Watching what I ate
I know this doesn’t seem like traditional skincare advice, but healthy skin truly does come from within. I noticed that after eating certain foods, the reward for it would be a new friend in the form of a pimple. Plus, these were not the kind to politely bow out after a good squeeze. Even when they dried out, they were sure to mark their territory by leaving dark marks, also known as hyperpigmentation. The chocolate bar I ate in a moment of weakness would remain plastered on my face for months after the fact. I shortly came to the conclusion that certain foods just weren’t worth it.
Dairy products were the main things I started to limit. Processed sugar and greasy, fried foods are also things I avoid.
Developing a skincare routine
Developing a skincare routine was a complete game changer for my skin. For starters, simply getting into the habit of consistently giving care and attention to my skin was something I desperately needed. I went from only washing my face in the morning with any soap at arm’s reach, to developing an 8-step skin routine for morning and night. Since then, my routine has been simplified down to 3-5 steps. The important thing is consistency. At a minimum, I’ll always give my face a good cleanse, tone and moisturizing.
No matter how great the skin care product or service is, your skin could revert if there is not some sort of system in place to consistently maintain the skin.
Wearing sunscreen
The sun is something serious! Though it has great benefits, it can also be harmful to us in a lot of ways. That is because it gives off UV rays that can cause burning and aging. That means fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, and loss of elasticity can all be made worse due to the sun. These were all issues that I saw in my skin.
Sunscreen is so important that many dermatologists consider it the most important step in any skincare routine. It has been pivotal in my skincare journey because It helped me improve the texture of my skin. Plus, I had a lot of acne scarring and dark marks were something I wished to brighten. While I used products like chemical exfoliants and vitamin C to help brighten those spots, using sunscreen became essential in preventing existing scarring from not getting worse.
When choosing a sunscreen, it is important to get one that has broad spectrum protection with SPF 30 or more.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve struggled with your skin for decades. Clear skin is possible. It may take some trial and error, but little by little you will start to see some improvements. These were the three habits I started doing that transformed my skin for the better. I encourage you to give these simple tricks a chance and watch how your skin starts transforming.
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